Archive for May, 2007

Bug is not a traditional thriller. This movie packs a big bite. Read on:

Exorcist director William Friedkin has made his most powerful (and divisive) film in years with Bug, an adaptation of the stage play by Tracy Letts. Ashley Judd stars as Agnes White, a lonely, substance-abusing waitress living in a roadside motel in the middle of nowhere.

She’s broke and dreading the return of her ex-husband Jerry Goss (Harry Connick Jr.), a recently released convict who is looking to reconnect with her. A series of phone calls where the caller says nothing initially peeves Alice because she thinks it’s Jerry, but when they persist after he returns she realizes that something else is going on.

Agnes’ friend and co-worker R.C. (Lynn Collins) introduces her to Peter Evans (Michael Shannon) — a meek, eccentric drifter she’s befriended. Agnes and Peter soon begin a romance, but then Jerry finally arrives on the scene and begins bullying them. Once Jerry leaves with a chilling promise to return, Agnes and Peter find themselves growing closer. Then Peter finds a bug in their bed — an almost microscopic breed of insect — a discovery that triggers a wave of unnerving revelations and repercussions.

Agnes’ newfound hope with Peter is tested when “the bugs” begin to spread and they discover they are infested. They wake up covered in scratches and begin resorting to increasingly drastic and bizarre methods to deal with the bugs. Peter finally tells Agnes about his past and the people who are after him; that’s the point when Bug asks us to question whether the threats perceived by Agnes and Peter are real or not.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is good summer entertainment. Read on:

Having been largely ambivalent toward the first two Pirates of the Caribbean films, I had few specific expectations going into At World’s End — the series’ finale. That’s not to say I had low expectations, mind you; Curse of the Black Pearl and Dead Man’s Chest were passingly entertaining and professionally executed, if nothing else. But even with Johnny Depp back at the helm and director Gore Verbinski guiding the voyage so to speak, doubt remained as to whether the series could eventually join the ranks of classic franchises. Sure, as a bullet point in pop culture, its position is assured. But as an integral part of movie history — Depp’s iconic turn as Sparrow notwithstanding — the only legacy that Pirates seems poised to leave is the distinction of it being the first major series about seafaring swashbucklers to succeed financially.

And while Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End does indeed satisfactorily tie up all of the loose ends introduced in the other two installments, a fitting finale for what has become one of the most successful trilogies in recent history, there is little in its labyrinthine plotlines and countless character developments to earn it the timeless appeal that has secured the likes of Star Wars or Lord of the Rings their classic status in the annals of cinema.

Part of the reason for this is the fact that At World’s End feels in a lot of ways like a pastiche of other sequels. At the end of Dead Man’s Chest, Depp’s Jack Sparrow succumbed to an untimely demise at the hands of the Kraken — a setback a la Han Solo’s carbon storage at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. Enlisting the help of a resurrected Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) contact Chinese pirate Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat) to help them retrieve Sparrow from Davy Jones’ Locker for an overdue meeting with the legendary Lords of the Brethren Court. (Imagine the Tatooine sequence from Return of the Jedi with Knightley in the slave bikini instead of Carrie Fisher and you have the right idea.)

The cast and crew of The Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer talk about bringing the comic book character to life on the silver screen. Read on:

The iconic comic book superhero the Silver Surfer was created by Marvel’s Stan Lee and Jack Kirby way back in 1966, first appearing in Fantastic Four #48. The Surfer became an instant fan favorite and was soon given his own spin-off. The character has enjoyed sustained appeal over the past several decades, appearing in numerous comic series, graphic novels, TV iterations, and videogames. Now, the Surfer is getting set to make his film debut when Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer hits the big screen on June 15.

IGN recently visited the film’s set in Vancouver and talked with the cast and crew about bringing the classic comic character to the big screen, and what the future might hold for the Surfer.

“You’ve always gotta go back to the comics,” says screenwriter Don Payne. “We’re pulling from Fantastic Four #48-50. We’re also doing #57-60, which is, I believe, the Doctor Doom/Silver Surfer story. And some moments from Ultimate Extinction as well — there are a couple things borrowed from there. And some new stuff all kind of thrown in.”

“I just saw a documentary where Jack Kirby referred to the Silver Surfer as a fallen angel and I think that’s a good analogy,” says Payne. “I think he’s one of the most complicated characters in comic book history, maybe the most complicated, because he’s done this amazing selfless act by saving his own planet and giving up the woman he loves to save her life and yet he’s become part of horrible genocide on a cosmic scale and there’s a moral ambiguity there. He’s a noble creature who’s got a Zen-like detachment from his actions and ultimately starts to become human again. Although he’s not human.”

Yahoo! News is reporting that Pirates of the Caribbean gamers, who visit the Disney theme Park will be able to download exclusive content (not available anywhere else) to their Nintendo DS system. You must bring your Nintendo DS system and “At World’s End game. Read on:

The division showcased its first collaboration with Disney Parks and Resorts at Disneyland on Saturday, hours before the world premiere of “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” took place in the amusement park.

Beginning on Friday at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World in Orlando, consumers who bring their Nintendo DS and “At World’s End” game to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride will be able to seek out 10 secured wireless hot spots to download free exclusive game content that won’t be available anywhere else. The gaming stations will be marked with a Pirates “X” at different areas through Labor Day at both parks.

The new Nintendo DS game — which will also be sold at both Disney parks, along with other versions of the “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” games — follows the exploits of the third movie and features such characters as Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. There will be three different downloads available around the theme park ride, including one that gamers can access while standing in line for the Pirates ride that inspired the films and games. Players will be able to unlock bonus items such as unlimited health, new costumes for the three stars of the game and new weapons, characters and locations for the online dueling mode of the title.

Gerard Butler will join the cast of Brian De Palma’s prequel, The Untouchables. Read on:

Hot on the heels of his success in 300, Gerard Butler’s reps are making sure that not a day seems to go by without their client’s name appearing in the trades. In addition to starring in the kid’s fantasy adventure Nim’s Island, the new Escape From New York, and the thriller Game, Butler has also been cast in Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables: Capone Rising.

Ryan Kavanaugh’s Relativity Media will produce the prequel to De Palma’s 1987 crime classic. Kavanaugh made the announcement Thursday at the Cannes film festival.

“Kavanaugh said Gerald Butler would topline in the Brian De Palma Untouchables prequel called Capone Rising — and indeed the actor put in a 60-second appearance to say how ‘unbelievable’ the script was,” according to Variety.Click on the link below to read the entire article:

I can’t wait for this one! Bring it on! I’m a huge Deniro and Pacino fan. Rumors have it that Mr. Deniro and Mr. Pacino (when you’re this big, they call you Mister) are reteaming for the new Indie film Righteous. Read on:

Heat co-stars Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are reteaming for the indie thriller Righteous Kill. The Millennium Films and Emmett/Furla Films co-production begins filming August 6th in Connecticut and New York City.

Jon Avnet will direct the $60 million pic. Russell Gewirtz (Inside Man) penned the screenplay, which Variety says follows “[two] cops chasing a serial killer.” Additional casting is under way for the project, which was announced at the Cannes film festival.

Rumor has it that the The Dark Knight will feature the origin story of the Joker. Read on:

Rumors are spreading online that The Dark Knight may feature an origin story of sorts for The Joker, played by Heath Ledger. If true, an origin subplot would help clarify discrepancies about the Clown Prince of Crime’s look in the Christopher Nolan-directed sequel to Batman Begins.

A blogger named “David” at blog.360.yahoo.com posted about his experience as an extra on the set of the forthcoming football drama The Express where he met another extra who claimed to have just worked on the Chicago shoot of The Dark Knight as Heath Ledger’s stand-in.

Nicholas Cage will play Al Capone in The Untouchables: Capone Rising, the prequel to Brian De Palma’s 1987 crime classic. Read on:

Nicolas Cage will reportedly portray infamous Chicago ganglord Al Capone in The Untouchables: Capone Rising, a prequel to the 1987 crime classic directed by Brian De Palma. Robert De Niro played Capone in the earlier film.

The pic is, like the original, a work of historical fiction mixing real figures with fictional characters. The real life battle between Treasury agent Elliot Ness and mobster Capone inspired the classic TV series starring Robert Stack.

The project will reunite Cage with De Palma, who directed the Oscar winner in Snake Eyes. De Palma has been attached to Capone Rising since 2005. Filming is said to begin in October.

The Golden Boys DS 1 Sheet Movie Poster - Style A. Near mint condition; double-sided; rolled. This is an original movie poster and not a reprint. Original 1 Sheet that has printing on both the front a...